Eight Below

Frank Wilton Marshall (born September 13, 1946) is an American film producer and director. Often working in collaboration with his wife, Kathleen Kennedy. With Kennedy and Steven Spielberg, he was one of the founders of Amblin Entertainment. He is a partner with Kennedy in The Kennedy/Marshall Company, a film production company formed in 1991, which signed a new contract with Columbia Pictures effective April 1, 2009 and in force through to October 31, 2011. Marshall has consistently collaborated with directors Steven Spielberg and Peter Bogdanovich.

Marshall was born in Glendale, California, the son of composer Jack Marshall. His early years were spent in Van Nuys, California. In 1961, his family moved to Newport Beach, where he attended Newport Harbor High School. Marshall was active in music, drama, cross country, and track. He entered UCLA in 1964 as an engineering major, but that did not last long. Over the next 3 years, he explored many different majors, eventually graduating with a degree in Political Science. While at UCLA, he helped create its first NCAA soccer team, and played collegiate soccer there in 1966, 1967 and 1968.

In 1967, he met film director Peter Bogdanovich at a birthday party for the daughter of director John Ford, a friend of his father. Marshall worked in various capacities on Bogdanovich’s first film, Targets, and finally found his passion. After graduating in 1968 from UCLA, he had planned to attend law school, but instead left for Archer City, Texas, to become location manager on “The Last Picture Show”. He continued to work with Bogadanovich and in 1973, he received his first producing credit on “Paper Moon”. Having made nine movies together, they continue to collaborate and are currently working to finish the tenth, Orson Welles’ final film, “The Other Side of the Wind”.

In 1981, together with his wife Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg, he co-founded Amblin Entertainment, one of the industry’s most productive and profitable production companies. Along the way, Marshall has received five Oscar nominations as a producer for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008), “Seabiscuit”(2003), “the Sixth Sense”(1999), “The Color Purple”(1985), and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”(1981).

His feature film directing debut was “Arachnophobia”(1990), starring Jeff Daniels. The film did well at the box office, and in 1991 he and Kennedy created the Kennedy/Marshall Company and began producing their own films. Marshall directed the company’s first film, “Alive”(1993), about a rugby team struggling to survive in the snow after their plane crashes in the Andes. Next, he directed “Congo”(1995), based on Michael Crichton’s novel, and most recently, “Eight Below”(2006), an adventure about loyalty and the bonds of friendship set in the extreme wilderness of Antarctica.

Marshall is also a former VP, member of the Board of Directors and member of the Executive Committee of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). He was awarded the Olympic Shield in 2005, and inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame class of 2008 for his years of service to the USOC.

Currently, he serves on the board of Athletes for Hope, USA Gymnastics, Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, the USAT&F Foundation, LA’s Promise and the UCLA Foundation Board of Governors. He is a recipient of the American Academy of Achievement Award, the UCLA Alumni Professional Achievement Award and the California Mentor Initiative’s Leadership Award. In June 2004, Marshall gave the Commencement Address at the UCLA College of Letters and Science graduation ceremony in Pauley Pavilion.

Marshall has long enjoyed magic and music and has been known to perform under the moniker of “Dr. Fantasy” or “DJ Master Frank.” Combining his passion for music and sports, Marshall and America’s premiere miler, Steve Scott, founded the Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon, which debuted in 1998 in San Diego as the largest first time marathon in history. —Wikipedia